The Perseids are noted for their long trails and should streak across much of the night sky. Look anywhere from 30 degrees to 80 degrees above the horizon and about 45 degrees away from the constellation Perseus.

The Perseids meteor shower can be seen all over the sky, but the best viewing opportunities will be across the Northern Hemisphere. The meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, which, in North America, rises in the evening in the northeast. You need not look in this direction, however.

The clickable sky map on the right shows the night sky looking northeast around midnight on August 12th-13th, 2010, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. The red dot is the Perseid radiant. Although Perseid meteors can appear in any part of the sky, all of their tails will point back to the radiant. Sky map credit: NASA